1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a magnetic transducer head assembly and more particularly to a magnetic transducer head assembly which has a multichannel magnetic transducer head element useful for the recording and/or reproducing of, for example, a pulse code modulated (PCM) audio signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A multichannel, for example, 16-channel magnetic transducer head element for recording and reproducing a PCM signal has been proposed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which are an enlarged cross-sectional view and a plan view thereof. This previously proposed multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 uses a rectangular shape magnetic substrate 2 made of, for example, magnetic ferrite. On the magnetic substrate 2 is formed a groove 3 along its londitudinal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2) into which non-magnetic material 4, for example, glass is filled. Also, on this magnetic base 2 is deposited a nonmagnetic insulating layer 5 made of, for example, SiO.sub.2. Further, on this magnetic base 2 is deposited a conductor means 6. The conductor means 6 comprises a band shape conductive layer 7 which makes a common bias coil for each channel of, for example, 16 channels and a band shape conductive layer 8 which makes a signal coil provided corresponding to each channel. Across the conductor means 6 are deposited thin film magnetic layers 9 corresponding to respective channels of, for example, 16 channels. Under this thin film magnetic layer 9 is deposited a non-magnetic insulating layer 10, made of, for example, an SiO.sub.2 layer which makes a gap spacer together with the insulating layer 5 to cover the conductor means 6 and interpose between it and the magnetic substrate 2. The thin film magnetic layer 9 of each channel is extended and arranged in parallel so as to transverse the band shape conductive layer 7 which becomes the common bias coil and the band shape conductive layer 8 which becomes the signal coil of each channel and to face at its end edge to the front edge 2a of the magnetic substrate 2. The both end portions of the band shape conductive layer 7 and those of each of the band shape conductive layers 8 are extended to the rear edge 2b of the magnetic substrate 2 or in the proximity thereof as lead terminals 7a, 7b and 8a, 8b for the external circuit, respectively. Then, covering all of the thin film magnetic layers 9, a protecting base 11 having superior wear proof, for example, glass base is bonded by adhesive agent 12 to the portions of the above lead terminals 7a, 7b and 8a, 8b except their extended portions.
To the terminals 7a, 7b and 8a, 8b of the conductor means 6 in the multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 thus constructed are connected corresponding lead wires 14 on a common flexible wiring board 13. The above connection is carried out by soldering. For example, each lead wire 14 is provided at its end portion with a solder and through the solder, the end portions of the lead wires 14 are superposed upon the corresponding lead terminals 7a, 7b and 8a, 8b. Under this superposed state, the portions in which they are superposed upon one other as mentioned above are heated to melt the solders and thus each portion is connected together. Through this flexible wiring board 13, the multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 is connected to an output (recording) circuit (not shown) or an input (reproducing) circuit (not shown, too).
With such construction, the magnetic thin films 9 and the magnetic substrate 2 constitute closed magnetic circuits. At the front edge 2a of the magnetic base 2 is formed each operation magnetic gap g having a gap length which is restricted by the thicknesses of the non-magnetic insulating layers 5 and 10 interposed between the magnetic substrate 2 and the magnetic thin film 9. The magnetic transducer head element for each channel in which each closed magnetic circuit passes through the conductive layers 7 and 8 is arranged in the vertical direction. With this construction, the PCM signals can be recorded into 16 channels simultaneously and the recorded PCM signals can be reproduced from 16 channels simultaneously, too.
However, such multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 includes a great number of terminals. By way of example, when the number of channels is 16, there are required 34 terminals in total which consists of 2 bias coil terminals 7a, 7b and 32 terminals 8a and 8b for the signal coil 8. In the prior art, the recording circuit which includes a serial-to-parallel converter or the like for supplying a recording signal to this multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 or the reproducing circuit which includes a parallel-to-serial converter or the like for delivering the reproduced signal from this multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1 is formed separately from the multichannel magnetic transducer head element 1. In consequence, the multichannel magnetic transducer head 1 is connected to the recording circuit or the reproducing circuit through the flexible wiring board 13 or the like as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. There is then a defect that so many connection wires are required. Moreover, such so many connection wires cause the manufacturing, adjusting and so on of the magnetic transducer head when assembled into the tape recorder to be quite difficult and the moving of the flexible wiring board 13 causes a noise to be increased too much.